We look forward all year long to the beginning of camp season. Literally from the minute it closes in the fall, we start making plans for next year. We’ve been at our campground for just over 20 years now. This is our third site and fifth camper, but I think we’ve got the best set-up now that we’ve ever had.
Dave and I, and even our Beagle Boy Cletus, were excited to get out there, open up and settle back in. We needed to do some yard work — deal with the leaves, cut the grass, do the trimming, etc. Then clean the fridge that sits outside on the porch all year long to within an inch of its life, restock our kitchen cupboards, put on fresh sheets and blankets. Be ready for a beautiful summer.
The date finally arrived for opening day. Yay! The calendar caught up, but the weather didn’t. It was cold and wet and miserable. OK, OK, next weekend will be better. We watched the weather report all week, hoping for a good weekend. Nope. Two days of rain and cold temps. Again, and again, and again. OK, that was May. June has to be better.
It was better, but not good. Warmer, but wetter. Finally, we started seeing some sunshine and dry days in the forecast. Just not on the weekends. We were coming up on six weeks into a five-month-long season, and we hadn’t had a decent weekend yet.
Granted, I was able to do some inside work, but I want to have our yard as pretty as it can get and be sitting by a fire with a cool, refreshing beverage in my hand. There were fires at some campsites, but I don’t want to sit there dressed like Nanook of the North.
Fine, Mother Nature won’t give us a sunny, dry weekend, then I’ll make my own. I checked how many vacation days I have left and how many doctor’s appointments we have coming up and decided I could afford a day and a half off work.
I worked Tuesday morning, then Dave and I and Cletus headed for the camper. We unloaded the car, and Cletus and I took off for our first walk of the season. Cletus loves to go for walkies. People question my wisdom in taking an almost 13-year-old dog for long walks, but he sets the pace. He can’t wait to get to the next smell.
After that, he settled in for a nap, and Dave and I set to work on our yard. Then I made us dinner, and Dave built a little fire. We had a visit from friends we hadn’t seen since last fall. It was a very enjoyable evening. The next morning, I woke up with sunshine in my face. Dave stoked up the fire that was still smoldering from the night before and we enjoyed a nice, leisurely breakfast. It was a beautiful warm and sunny day. Sure felt like a Sunday. The next day I was back at work, feeling like it was Monday.
But no, it was Thursday. Just two days of work and then we can be back at the camper. Yay! But back to clouds and cooler temps and nearly an all-day soaker. Whatever.
